


How to Raise a Troll

by hollyblue



Category: Homestuck, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Bro | Dirk Strider - Freeform, Dragon!Karkat, Gen, dragonstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 12:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2429399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyblue/pseuds/hollyblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>HTTYD+Homestuck AU. Dave Vantas Strider finds an egg in the woods, and it hatches into a (not) majestic dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Dave Vantas Strider, twelve years old, was proud to work and live alongside dragons- all the dozens of species, twelve of which were recognized as purebred breeds. Megido, Nitram, Captor, Leijon, Ophiee, Maryam, Pyrope, Serket, Zahhak, Makara, Ampora, and the legendary Peixes.  Now, however, he hadn't seen a single dragon all day.

Trekking through the dense forest,  he swung a hatchet from side to side, clearing a path. A large basket hung from his side, holding game he had caught and killed, as well as a few various edible plants and berries. Whistling to fill the silence of the woods- the animals nearby were spooked by his presence- he nearly missed it.

A couple feet to his left, a shallow indentation in the ground lay half covered by dried grass and twigs, though much of the vegetation was torn apart and scattered, and well as some shards of red eggshell. The bright clot caught his eye, however, and he stopped, bending low to examine it. A single whole egg, about the size of two of an adult's fists, lay in the wreckage. At first, Dave couldn't tell if the red was blood or the shell color, there was so much of the stuff around it. No sign of a body remained, however, though the blood spatters spoke of a creature falling prey to another.

As he studied the scene, the egg moved, pipping softly, enough so that the young boy almost didn't notice. He did, though, and all his attention went to it, one hand reaching out to touch the leathery shell. Feeling the warmth of the touch, the beast within chirped, rocking more enthusiastically. Startled, Dave pulled his hand back, resulting in a high-pitched cry of loss. Reluctantly, he touched the damp surface again, then picked it up, holding it in both hands. A soft chirr came from inside, the motions slowing slightly, though he could still hear tiny claws scratching at the inner shell.

"Should I help it?" Dave wondered aloud, startling the unhatched infant, and the motions ceased. Alarmed, Dave cradled it awkwardly, not saying anything now. He held one hand over it, encompassing as much as he could. _Don't die,_ he thought, willing it to keep going. He didn't know much about eggs, or even what kind of creature this was, but he knew that if it stopped now, it could fail to hatch.

Much to his relief, after a minute of warmth and silence, it started again, scrabbling furiously. Shifting to a sitting position- his legs were getting cramped- Dave set it in his lap, in the makeshift nest of his legs. It took a good few minutes before the first crack appeared, but when it did, he gasped in surprise.  A small gray paw worked its way out if the crack, a bit of shell breaking off and releasing a drop of clear fluid onto Dave's pants. Making a face, he wiped it off, returning his focus to the hatching animal.

After the first bit, it went smoothly, more and more pieces breaking off in variously sized chunks. Finally, though, the red casing split in half, allowing a damp gray scaled _something_ to fall out. It didn't look like any animal Dave knew of, except for the stubby wings spread awkwardly, looking as fragile as a dead leaf.  "Are you a dragon?" he asked it, and its head whipped around, long ears going back as it hissed. Startled, Dave jerked back, holding up both hands. "I guess so." When the hatchling made to scramble off his lap, he lunged forward, grabbing it by the midsection. It screeched shockingly loudly, nearly surprising him into dropping it. "Shh, shh," he tried to soothe it, but it screamed again, trying to bite him.

It was difficult to wrangle with a dragon, small though it was, and get meat from his basket at the same time, but as soon as the dragonet spotted the rabbit, it was scrabbling to get at it, barely giving Dave time to cut it open with his stone knife before tearing into the long-eared animal. Mildly impressed by it voraciousness, the young boy watched it eat, until a good chunk of it was gone and the dragonet's belly was visibly rounder, gray hide stretched around the meal. Wrapping the rabbit back up and putting it back in his bag, he carefully stood, then realized his caution was unwarranted- the newborn was asleep. Chuckling softly, he let it settle into his arms, using his shirt to clean some of the gore from around it's short muzzle.

**  
  
  
**

Once they returned to the village he called home, Dave was greeted by his best friend, John Egbert.  Stopping his loud greeting before it started, he held a finger to his lips, motioning to the sleeping dragon in his arms. Eyes wide, John bent down to look at it. "I've never seen a dragon like that," he breathed, which was surprising to the Dave- his father was the best dragon breeder around.

Hearing his voice, soft though it was, the little one started to stir, paws waving lazily. Once it's gray eyes opened, however, it was alert, struggling to its feet and huddling against Dave, hissing and snapping its teeth. Both of the boys jumped, only further spooking the dragonet.

"Hey, it's okay," Dave murmured to it, trying to calm it by covering its eyes, like one would do to a domestic animal. This only served to panic it further, and its teeth sank into Dave’s finger, making him yelp and pull back. Licking a drop or two of red from its lip, it glared up at Dave, short tail lashing and tiny wings- small even for its body size- outspread. “He’s mean,” John observed. “Should we take him to Dad?”

“It’s a he?” Dave questioned. “Yeah, far as I can tell.” Dave nodded, accepting his judgement, and they walked up the stone path to John’s home, where they found his father working with a clutch. “Dad, we’re back!” John yelled as soon as they walked in the door- the man barely flinched. “Welcome home, son.”

“We- well, Dave- found this egg in the woods, and it hatched, so we need to know what it is.” James looked up from the trio of eggs, walking over to the boys. “May I?” he asked, holding out his hands for the angry dragon. “He bites,” Dave warned before passing him over. The hatchling sniffed him warily, then settled down, twisting around to nibble at an itchy spot under his wing. Dave frowned slightly- it had been downright aggressive with him- but let it go.

“Hmm. It looks like you’ve got a mutant here. See this?” He picked up one of the dainty paws, the wrist as thin as a twig, and both children leaned closer. Faint red lines streaked his skin, scales not yet developed. “Hey, he’s like a troll dragon. But I’ve never seen one with bright red,” John noted. “The closest to that is a Megido, right?” His father nodded. “This isn’t a purebreed. He’s no good for breeding stock- you can keep him, but no letting him mate.”

“Dragons do what they want,” Dave said softly, but loud enough for James to hear. “He’ll be smart enough to learn, if he’s anything like a troll dragon,” was the reply from the older man. “Now, he needs a name. What do you think?” Before any of them could speak, the dragon yawned. “Krrkt.” After a moment, Dave smiled. “Can I call him that? Krr… Karkat?” “It sounds good to me,” James said. “If you need any help, come see me.” The blond boy nodded.

Together, he and John left the building, Dave carrying the newly-named Karkat.

A few years passed.

 

 


	2. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit starts to go down.

“Faster, Karkat!” Dave yelled, vaulting over a boulder and landing hard on his feet. Behind him, Karkat crashed through the woods, cursing as he broke branches. “Fuckshit. Stop!” Laughing, he ignored his dragon, scaling a tree with low branches and perching about midway up. The red-streaked dragon reared up on his back legs, planting his forepaws on the trunk. 

“Boneskull. You ass now.” He reached up, straining to touch at least the sixteen-year-old’s foot, but he was just out of reach. “Down, fuck!” “Not with that language,” the boy replied, swinging his feet casually. “Gotta ask me nicely.” Huffing, Karkat sat back on his haunches, stubby tail sweeping away the undergrowth, and wings flaring out on either side of his saddle. “Go fuck you.” 

“That doesn’t sound very nice.”

“Dayvee!”

“Okay, shit, fine.” He leaped down lightly, landing in front of his partner dragon. The gray immediately pounced on him, pinning him down and biting his arm, not quite enough to hurt. “You shit stop.” Rolling his eyes, he shoved the dragon- the size of a small horse- off of him. “Okay, fine.” 

As soon as he was free, he took off again, somersaulting over a log- “Showoff!” - and vanishing into the trees. With a snarl, Karkat followed him, tired of this game. “Stop, I go home!” There was no reply, and Karkat put his ears back, uncomfortably aware of everything around him, every potential predator. “Dayvee?” Shoulders hunched, he slinked under a log leaning against a boulder. 

He nearly leaped out of his skin when something tapped his flank, kicking up dirt and stones as he took off running, wings outstretched. “It’s okay, it’s okay! It’s just me!” The voice behind him was laughing, and Karkat felt hot embarrassment sweep over himself. “Fuck you,” he bit out, long ears pinned to his skull. He stomped back to Dave, who had his straight face back in place by the time he came back.

“You do, I kill,” Karkat growled at him, wings still half open. Dave stepped close to rub the dragon’s scaled cheek, making his eyes half-close without his consent. “Stop,” he huffed, not wanting to be pet, but it did feel so good…

 

With a snort, he shook his head, breaking off the purr. “No!” he snapped at Dave, sharp teeth bared. The boy held up his hands, backing away, wary of his sharp temper. “Settle down, bro. No harm done.” Karkat sat down and raised one paw to his mouth, nibbling at a claw, and ignored Dave. “Come on, was it really that bad?” No reply. 

“I know what’ll cheer you up,” he offered, looking in the satchel hanging from his shoulder. The drake’s tail flicked, showing his interest, but he didn’t speak. He gave up trying to punish Dave when he pulled out a small tuna fish, about as long as his forearm. 

Wings fluttering excitedly, he practically pranced toward Dave, mouth open to accept the treat. Not willing to risk losing a finger, the human tossed it at Karkat, who snapped it out of the air, shaking it hard enough for a crack of bone to be heard before he swallowed it whole, head first so the scales wouldn’t catch in his throat.

“Well, that went fast,” Dave commented drily. Burping softly, Karkat looked at him, then crouched, half-bowing, so the boy could straddle his shoulders. After he jumped into the saddle, they took off down the path, Dave bent low over his shoulders to avoid getting killed by low-hanging branches. Karkat was one of the breeds unable to fly- it wasn’t uncommon with troll breeds; some of the rarer ones were even water-dwelling. He was fast, though, and strong for his size. 

It didn’t take them long to return home, waking the sentry dragon, a Nitram who had been dozing on a sun-warmed boulder. Confused, he bugled an alarm, then an all-clear when he realized who it was. By then though, a Makara was in the air, flying toward them, serpentine body winding through the air like a snake in water. He landed before them, reared and massive wings outstretched, blocking out the sun. 

Seeing Karkat, though, his mouth open in a toothy smile and he clumsily galloped forward, nearly knocking them over. “Gamzee! Off fuck!” The dragon ignored him, nuzzling his cheek and patting his face. “Gah! No!” Dave jumped off his back, leaving the two friends to interact behind them. 

Running up the path, he nearly bumped into his arranged fiancee, Jade Harley. Their guardians- his brother and her grandfather- had been planning their union since they were thirteen, three years now. Dave never told anyone, but he wasn’t attracted to girls. Or boys. Or any gender, really. But the next choice for her was Jack, and like hell he was going to let a girl like Jade marry a guy like that asshole.

“Dave!” she chirped, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek. “Good to see you!” She was always had something nice to say to him, he thought as he returned the show of affection. “How was hunting?” Shit, right, he was supposed to be hunting. At least he’d gotten that rabbit from the trap he’d set up the other day. “Not great,” he answered, truthfully. “You know how shouty Karkat is. He probably scared the whole forest into hiding.”

Jade laughed, releasing him from the hug and holding his hand as they walked. “You didn’t even try, did you?” He shrugged. “I got something, at least.” 

“Oh, that reminds me! I got something for you!” She dug in the pocket of her skirt for a moment, then pulled out a chunk of smooth amber, encasing a beetle. “Oh, cool,” he said, picking up the proffered object and examining it. “This is a really good preservation. Where did you get it?” “John says one of his Makaras found it in the mountain, isn’t that neat?” He nodded, tucking the gem into his most trusted pocket.

“So, anything else new with you, Jade?” She shrugged. “I saw the fishermen bring in a pretty big catch- don’t tell Karkat, but there’s like, ten tuna!” 

“Oh, man. He’ll be all over that as soon as he catches wind of it.” She nodded, laughing softly as she leaned against him. Not for the first time, he felt a pang of remorse that he didn’t feel any real attraction to her- she was a sweet girl, and deserved better than him. Better than Jack, definitely. 

His train of thought was broken when Jade paused beside him, looking to the horizon. “Is that a stormcloud?” Dave followed her line of sight, to a gray, shining cloud in the distance. “Huh, I dunno. Maybe-” He was cut off as Karkat charged up behind him, snatching him up and practically throwing him onto his shoulders. “Hey, stop!” he yelled at the gray dragon, kicking his shoulder ineffectively. Jade was quick enough to hop up behind him before Karkat started running, toward the forest. “The fuck, Karkat? Why are you doing this?” 

“Bad, storm, rock, coming! We need go!” Dave turned his head to look at Jade, making sure her arms were secure around his waist. “Any idea what he’s talking about?” The girl shook her head, black hair blowing in the wind. “We have to stop him! If something coming, we need to tell the village!” He pounded on Karkat’s shoulder, but he may as well be hitting a rock.

“Fuck this. Jade, we have to jump.” He kept his voice low, so Karkat couldn’t hear. “It might hurt, but I know you’ve had worse. Ready?” Face set, she nodded, loosening her grip on him. Bringing two fingers to his lips, he whistled loudly, summoning his Bro’s dragon, a Pyrope, one of the few flying breeds.


	3. Meteor

“Now!” he told Jade, and she let go, swinging one leg over the saddle and leaping off, hitting the ground in a roll. No time to look back to see if she was okay, he had to jump. Karkat yowled angrily when he felt the weight leave his back, wings starting to flare out to keep him from jumping. It was too late, though; Dave was out of there. He crouched in the saddle, facing to the side, and sprang away. 

As he hit the ground, he heard a cackling screech, and claws scooped him up, holding him tightly to a cool scaled chest. Looking down, he saw Jade standing and watching, one hand held up to shade her eyes. Karkat was taking off to follow them, wings beating furiously to catch up, but Terezi was faster. “Take me to Bro!” She nodded, bobbing her head, and swung back toward the village.

It didn’t take long for them to get back, Karkat falling behind by the time they landed. Terezi settled on her hind legs, backwinging to keep her balance, and Dave landed on his feet, panting. Looking up, he could see the cloud was closer, and glowing more brightly. Karkat hit the dirt beside them and Dave darted into the hut he shared with his brother, who was sharpening a sword in the corner.

“Bro, something’s up with Karkles. He grabbed me and Jade and booked it. Said something about a rock storm, I think?” Bro looked up at him, frowning slightly as Karkat scrabbled at the door, trying to get in. “He’s nuts, dude.” His older brother nodded, sheathing his sword. “What should we do about it?”

“I dunno man, just find out what’s up.”

“DAYVEE! STORM!”

Bro nodded, going out the back door of their home. “Hey, Karklebat! Why don’t you come tell me what’s up?” The noises at the door stopped, as the dragon presumably went around the side. Dave could hear soft murmurs, punctuated by Karkat’s louder voice. After a few minutes, Bro came back in, rubbing his head. “Says there’s some kind of meteor storm comin’. But we’ve had that before, dunno why he’s so worried.”

“BIG!”

“Maybe that’s it,” Dave offered, shrugging. “Want me to go with him to check it out? You could come.” The elder Strider nodded. “I’ll take Cal.” Cal was an Ophiee dragon, and personally, he scared Dave. But he was Bro’s bond, and the best option. “Time to face the storm,” Dave muttered, barely amused at his own wit, and stepped outside. He was almost mauled by a frantic Karkat, who reared up, pulling him close and wrapping him in a wing cocoon. Pressed against the fever heat of his dragon- warmer than all the others- he groaned, the close quarters stifling.

“Karkat, let go.”

“No. You stay me. Safe.” He didn’t bother to keep arguing, and after a minute, Karkat let go, anyway. Taking a deep breath, Dave looked around, seeing definite signs of unrest in the village. A sheeplike Megido was bounding from roof to roof, fluffy wings extended to lengthen the hops, and bleating as it went. Other dragons were at unrest too- a Serket blew flames into the air, nearly igniting a hut, and took off, multiple legs tucking up to its belly and chest.

“Shit, dude. This is bad, isn't it?” Karkat whined softly and nuzzled the top of Dave’s head. “We go?” 

“Yeah, but there’s a problem. We gotta go toward the meteor.” The dragon hissed, but when Dave tugged on the strap around his neck, he deflated. “We go.” He kept tugging until Karkat dropped to all fours, allowing him to get on his shoulders, in the saddle. “Follow Cal,” he ordered; the blue and orange dragon had already taken off. Feeling Karkat’s muscles bunch under him, he held on tightly, and they launched into the air, wings beating furiously. 

Once in the air, he could feel Karkat trembling, tremors running through his shoulders and back. “It’s okay,” he yelled over the rush of the wind, but he kept shaking. Dragons weren't meant to fly toward danger, he figured. Still, they had to do this. Now that they were closer, he could see it more clearly- a giant flaming rock, falling to the earth. If it hit, it could do a lot of damage, Dave realized. Cal was high above them, Karkat laboring to catch up- his breed wasn't made for flying, it seemed.

When they finally caught up, they could hear the meteor- a roar louder than any storm Dave had ever heard. Karkat backwinged beside Cal, hovering in midair beside the slender dragon. Bro looked over at Dave, orange eyes looking, for some reason, sadder than he had ever seen them.

And then Bro jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shortest chapter so far. I'm sorry.

“BRO!”

“DIRK!”

Bro could hear both Dave and Cal scream his name as he fell, arms outstretched like a diver’s. It was oddly peaceful, though, feeling the air part around him. He twisted his head to the side, just able to see his dragon diving after him. “Cal, stay back!” he shouted, and with a mournful keep, Cal obeyed, flapping in a circle above him. He turned his focus back to the meteor- shit, he was closer than he’d thought.

Drawing his sword, he swallowed hard and pointed it in front of him. He could feel the heat now, and to be honest, Dirk Strider was scared. Scared of failing, scared of dying, scared of his family and village dying. So he had jumped, not giving himself time to think about it beforehand.

There was no more time to think, now. He tightened his grip on the sword, amber eyes narrowed against the wind. And then he hit the meteor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't expect this either


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I lied, this is the shortest one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing yet

“BRO!” Dave howled, mindlessly trying to leave the saddle and jump after his brother. Karkat spun in midair and caught him in his talons, holding him close. Dave hid his face in the dragon’s breastbone, hitting the large shoulders. “Let me go! I have to save him!” Karkat whined, slowly turning to fly back to the village as the meteor chunks hit- the separate pieces leaving much less of an impact then they would have before.

Cal looked down at the wreckage for a minute more, then followed them, silently flying beside them. At the village, the dragons and humans were huddled in their homes, watching the crash from within. None of them had been close enough to see Bro jump, but Cal spoke to a few closer to him, and the news spread fast. 

Karkat guarded the door to their home, not allowing anyone to enter, save for Cal who put his head through a window to speak to Dave, both of them mourning the loss of their family. But they had survived.

And they would keep surviving.


End file.
